2019 Post Activity
Published 12 Dec 2019 in Stillwater News Press
Meeting of Thursday December 5, 2019 at Legion Building
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Christmas Ham Dinner: Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, and Dessert
7:00 pm Presentation: "Quilts of Valor" Sarah Wheatley of the Cimarron Quilter/Quilts of Valor program.The mission of Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts. Sarah Wheatley of the Cimarron Quilters/Quilts of Valor, will share stories of Veterans, quilts, and Stillwater's role in this program created to honor those who have served our country. Catherine Roberts had definite ideas about standards of excellence for Quilts of Valor: I knew a Quilt of Valor had to be a quality-made quilt, not a “charity quilt.” A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. Quilts of Valor would be “awarded,” not just passed out like magazines or videos. A Quilt of Valor would say unequivocally, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor” in serving our nation in combat.
At the conclusion of the program Dr. Cecil Dugger was awarded a Quilt of Valor.
Email received 29 November 2019:
Good Evening! My Name is Jordan Weldon. I wanted to thank you for sending me to Girl’s State the summer before my senior year. It was an amazing experience for me and introduced me to some of my best friends. I am now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma. I go to school with so many girls that I went to Girl’s State with! One of my favorite organizations at OU is The President’s Leadership Class. It was an honor to be accepted and I am so grateful for the opportunities the organization has given me. This past week, I received the news that I was accepted to study abroad with 60 other PLC members! Our trip will be this May in Arezzo, Italy. I am doing everything I can to raise enough money to be able to attend the trip. I was wondering if the American Legion of Stillwater offered any scholarships for students who hope to study abroad. Any amount helps and will put me one step closer to my goal. Thank you again for giving my the opportunity to go to girls state, as it has opened so many doors for me and has made me who I am today.
Veterans' Day at Fairlawn Cemetery
2019 Mid-Winter Conference
Homecoming Parade
Meeting Thursday October 3, 2019 at Freddy Paul’s Steakhouse--(New Location because of construction at Legion Hall)
6:00 pm Steak Dinner (please notice time for Dinner 6pm)
Presentation: State Budget and an Update on Upcoming Legislation Pertaining to Veterans by Senator Tom Dugger (our own Post 129 Senator)
Tom Dugger has lived in Stillwater since 1979, and has worked for over 40 years as a certified public accountant, with experience in tax, audit and corporate accounting. He is a past board member of the Oklahoma Board of Accountancy and the Oklahoma Society of CPA's. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, he continues to serve on the OSU School of Accounting Advisory Board and was recognized as a Distinguished Accounting Alumnus in 2005. His list of honors is too long to include here. After two 3 year terms on the Stillwater City Council, he was elected as State Senator for District 21 in 2016. He currently serves on the Appropriations, Education and Agriculture Committees. He is chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Select Agencies and Vice Chair of the General Government Committee. His Legion talk will cover information about the state budget and an update on upcoming legislation pertaining to veterans.
Meeting Thursday September 5, 2019 Freddie Paul’s Steakhouse--New Location because of construction at the Legion Hall
August 10 Renovation Work Party
August has seen the sewer drain lines dug out and replaced with completion of the new connection to the city in the alley pending permits. Saturday, August 10, a work party removed paneling from the hallways in prep for new and lighter wall treatment. The place will soon have a new look.
Meeting Thursday July 11, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Pork Loin Dinner with Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, and Dessert
7:00 pm Presentation: American Legion Boy and Girl State Participants Report
Boys State:
Oklahoma American Legion Boys State is a non-partisan intensive week of leadership, government, and patriotism sponsored by the American Legion of Oklahoma. Delegates to Boys State have just completed their junior year of high school and have been selected by their local American Legion Post as a representative of the best of their community. Boys State was established in the 1930s as a way to counter anti-American activity during the pre-World War II era.
Girls State:
American Legion Auxiliary Oklahoma Girls State is a premier program for teaching how government works while developing leadership skills & an appreciation for your rights as a citizen. As a participant in the program you will run for office, learn public speaking, create and enforce laws and actively participate in all phases of creating and running a working government in this exciting and fun summer program. You’ll meet other students from across Oklahoma who will become friends for life. You’ll also develop confidence and leadership skills that will shape your future.
Meeting Thursday June 6, 2019 (D-DAY + 75 Years)
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Pork Loin Dinner:Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, and Dessert
7:00 pm Program: “Topic: Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Update” by Trenton Inselman
Trenton Inselman, Economic Development Coordinator, spoke about how the chamber and its economic development branch helps to recruit, retain or expand business in Stillwater. One area of focus is restaurant and retail recruitment. Much of what Trenton does is top secret until it is announced in the paper, but he discussed the high level procedures and processes involved in economic development. If you want help locating available properties, growing your business, or relocating a business to Stillwater, Trenton is the person to talk to.
The Wall That Heals After Action Report provided by Legionnaire Rick Hansen.
School Awards
Meeting of Thursday May 2, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Fried Chicken Dinner: Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, and Dessert
7:00 pm Program: “Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center Food Insecurity in Payne County” by Becky Taylor, Executive Director
Becky shared information about the food insecurity in Payne County and how ODB is helping to meet that need. She will go over how ODB has served Payne County for the past year. She will also explain how the Legion can volunteer to provide personal or organizational assistance for the mission of ODB. Becky attended Oklahoma State University for her Masters of Public Health and has a Master's of Divinity from Golden Gate Seminary. She has been with Our Daily Bread since before it was operational in 2017. As the Executive Director, Becky rallies the community together to provide funding, future and current operational needs, and ensures that poverty stricken residents have a place to turn to for help for food and other necessities. She lives with her husband and two boys in Stillwater.
Meeting of Thursday April 4, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Porkchop Dinner: Salad, Baked Potato, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Roll, and Desert
7:00 pm Program: “Selection process for Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame” by Major General Douglas Dollar
Major General Douglas O. Dollar grew up in the Cookson Hills of rural Eastern Oklahoma, where he learned to enjoy hunting, fishing and camping in the great outdoors. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army Infantry in 1968 as a Distinguished Military Graduate through the ROTC program at Oklahoma State University, and served as a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam, and later as training officer of the 5th Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, NC. General Dollar joined the Army Reserves serving as Assistant Acting Division Commander, and Commander of the 80th Division. General Dollar is a Tahlequah, OK, High School and an Oklahoma State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree (Advertising), master’s degree (Mass Communications), and a doctor of education degree (Higher Education Administration). He resides in Stillwater, OK, with his wife Gayla. They have one son, Rodney, and two daughters, Karen and Katherine.
Meeting of Thursday March 7, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Steak Dinner: Baked Potato, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Roll, and Desert
6:55 pm Proclamation: American Legion Centennial Celebration 1919-2019 Mayor Will Joyce
7:00 pm Program: “50 Plus Years of Officiating Oklahoma Youth Sports” by Dr. Robert Breedlove
Dr. Robert Breedlove, Legion member for 18 years and a local Dermatologist, has been a high school athletic official for 52 years. Dr. Breedlove also writes an interesting travel column every week for the NewsPress. He is a hometown boy, and in the Legion, has taken care of our Boys State program with the help of Alan Bodine.
Mayor Will Joyce read a Centennial Proclamation from Governor Stitt naming Hanner Sharp Post 129.
/files/proclamation_2019_Post129_Gov.pdf
Meeting of Thursday February 7, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Steak Dinner with Baked Potato, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Roll, and Desert
7:00 pm Special Program:
Lillie Snider, Oratorical Contestant from Hanner-Sharp American Legion Post 129 will make a 5 minute speech on US Constitution. (Postponed due to weather)
7:10 pm Program: Facts and Myths about Abraham Lincoln. Jim Rutledge, Vice Commander Post 129
Jim Rutledge, a lifelong student of Abraham Lincoln, will share a program about some of the facts and figures related to our 16th President who would be celebrating his 210th birthday in February. Rutledge is originally from the Springfield, Illinois area, and has collected over 40 published works about President Lincoln, including both historic and contemporary volumes. His program will focus on little known but interesting facts, and the truth about some fake news that has been spread about Lincoln.
From left: Alan Bodine, Jim Rutledge, Bobby Bryant
Meeting of Thursday January 3, 2019
6:00 pm Meet and Greet
6:30 pm Steak Dinner, Baked Potato, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Roll, and Dessert
7:00 pm Program: “Money Talks.” Norman Filtz, Retired Accountant, and Money Holder.
Money Talks by our own Norman Filtz concentrated on the words, symbols and other special markings on paper money. We all brought a dollar bill ($1.00) and a magnifying glass to study and learn the symbology on our currency. Also viewed were gold and silver notes, and confederate bills. It was an interesting evening. Thanks Norm!
From left: Commander Stan Witte, Norman Filtz, Treasurer Dewey Clapp
Starting off the new year at the Rose Parade where the people around the country saw The American Legion at its Very Best. https://www.legion.org/centennial/244353/people-around-country-saw-us-our-best